The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-03-26
AN OLD-TIME ADVENTURE.
The Experience of Two Piucky New iIamp-
shire Lads In the Year 1855.

The Experience of Two Plncky New iIamp'
shire Lads In the Year 1885.
On one Of the last days Of May, 1915, two
boys, Charles Flanders aud william
Wheeler, were sent out from the block
house at Charleston, n. H., on the Con
pccticut, TO look for two horses that had
strayed into the woods. The missing an
finals were a gray horse and black mare,
respectively, The mare had her young
colt with her. They both belonged 10
BIls father, and the settler had promised
thr boy that II he would find the horses,
and bring them safely home, he would
gIvc h,m the colt for his labor.
The lads started of about SIX o'clock in
the morning, taking their way down the
riycr VIII N had his fathers gun; but
Charlie, who was younger, had not been
allowed to take one. Guns aud ammuni.
tiUu were too scarce at the fort To be
entrusted TO a boy eleven years old. IL
was really dangerous TO 90 out unarmci
gre a. distance from the BLOCK house, for
wildcats and wolves were numerous in
,ha1 region, and occasionally bear was
sroU The boys themselves thought llttie
Of ,lc peril, but 1t was not W Without mis-
EyIu Is that their mothers hal seen thom
depart
Whistling mcrrly, the lads went away
frD m the settlement INTO the forest All
along the river there were many natural
"opens" IN the woods. They passed one
aud another of these, searching kaenly for
every sign Of the missing animals, ana
listening for the bells. In the early times
al the colonies, the settlers usually put
bell on each horse as well as on their
cows In one Of these "opens they scared
NJ covey OF partridgcs. Bill at once pro.
posed that they should set some snarcS IN
the bushes on either side Of the path, and,
perhaps, they might catch game enough
Tor q dinner by their return. According
~ they went to work to set the sn9rcS.
each setting about dozen. Then they
went forward again.
Charley was the happy posscssor OF a
Jack-knife aud ne busted himself in maxi
M bow and arrows as he trudgcd along
Tho boW he fashioned from an ash limb
and the arrows were Of oak. headed with
sharp tacks that the boy happened To hav,
~ his pocket. The bowstring was OF
stout Irvine. When completed, 1T was
hardly equal 10 an English long bow, MOI
was Charley Robin Hood; but it was
nevertheless quite dangerous weapon II
his hands, lie amused himself shooting
~ squirrels and birds, and was IN hlSi
spirits when he hit one
The only traces Of the animals they were
hunting after thar they had yet seen were
their tracks, which they ever and anon
came across in the "OptnS," or imboide
IN the banks of the stream. They listened
and listened FOR the friendly clinking OF
The bells, but could not hear them. We
th ' fc.t assure they were on the RICH
course. They had proceeded about three
miles when Blll's quick car caught The
I. m liar ting.a-ling OF "A bell. But It wa
great way of, and seemed to be- grow
ing more iudiStinCL
IT'S in the next 'opcn,'" said Bin
'That is Sukcys bed Thoy can't be ia
of Good luck! Now | II have my colt au'
n trouble
The boys were then in the thick forest
1ho last "opcn" was half IA mile benin,
them; the next might be rs far in front o
them. They FASTENED forward eagerly
following the sound of the bell that Cam
tUking AT intervals through tho woods
Thy came to the "opcn,n II squarc-lilS
area Of nearly four acres, lying low AM
level on the banks Of the Connecticut AL
~ once the bells ceased tinkling.
THAT is singular Perhaps they hav
gone down TO the river TO drink" said Bin
looking in that direction
oh, you Jack, there's the horses owe
b. hat clump Of brchcs!' cried Charley
"tan't you see the old gray's sIdci"
That's strange, anyhow" declared
Bill. "The last time | heard the bell
could swear it was on the other side Of tn,
'opnn.'n
The bell commenced tinkling again. /
most assuradlv was on the opposite side
near the stream.
'Sukcy and her colt must be owe
thcrc,n said Charley, but it's strange, AZ
You say, that they shouldn't be together.
We'll, you 90 that way and ! Will -
This. If we can catch them we can rid
b me. | do hope the colt il not lost o
hurt"
Bin started in the direction toward thu
river, and, of course, Charley walked of
~ "a course just opposite.
When the latter was about halfway
across the clearing he turned around Il
hook at Bill. To his surprise, his com
panion was not to be seen.
While he was gazing in that direction
H. saw two Indians rise up from behind
II clump of alders and look toward the
rycr. AT that instant Bill rcappcared
around bend of the stream, where he
had been hidden from the sight of hi,
friend.
As soon as Bill saw the sayages, he
furned to run. One of the Indians at tins
4 ed after the fleeing boy and shot him
through the wrist The shot whirled him
~ lently round. The savages then seized
IN, and binding him with deerskif
thong, carried him TO their canoe, which
was IN the river not far distant.
Meanwhile, Charley, seeing the plight
81 his companion, was moving slowly
away from the dangerous neighborhood
H. hoped the Indians had not seen him
Alone and without any suitable weapon
lie knew that he could do nothing toward
rcscuing poor Bill. HIS plan was TO return
20 the settlement as quickly as possible
inform his father OF the circumstance, and
have party start at once 70 the rescue
! order to reach there at the shortest
notice, be had made up his mind to catch